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Friday, November 14, 2008

Homemade Egg Noodles & Pasta

Stir in and then knead in as much of 2 cups flour as you can. You can use all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour or a blend. This makes a fairly stiff dough. Knead until smooth, 10 to 15 minutes.

You can also make this in a food processor. Put 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt in the work bowl. Beat the egg yolks, egg and water together and add through the feed tube with the machine running. Add additional water or flour one tablespoon at a time to reach the correct consistency, then let the machine run for about 30 seconds. Turn out onto a floured board and knead by hand for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth.

After kneading, cover the dough and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before proceeding. If you don't have a pasta machine, just cut the dough into 3 or 4 pieces and roll each one as thin as possible on a lightly floured board or counter. You want it almost transparent. Let dry a bit before cutting into desired shapes.
If you have a pasta machine, cut the dough into egg-size pieces and cover with a towel to keep them from drying out while you work. Run one piece through the widest setting of the pasta machine. Fold in half and run through again. Repeat several more times, lightly flouring it if necessary, until the sheet of dough is smooth and not sticky. Change the notch on the machine to the next setting and run the dough through without folding. Continue to change the setting and run the dough through until it is the desired thickness, generally about 1/16 inch, number 6 on my machine. Repeat with remaining dough balls.

Let the sheets dry a bit before cutting by machine or by hand into wide noodles, fettucine or spaghetti. Place in soft bundles and air dry for at least 15 minutes before cooking or 24 hours before storing. You can speed this up in a dehydrator( 30 to 60 minutes, depending on thickness at about 145 degrees). Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water. The time will depend on how long they have dried, but check after just 3 or 4 minutes.

This egg pasta can also be used to make ravioli, tortellini or it can be cut into rectangles, dried and used for lasagne. No need to cook it before assembling the lasagne! Store thoroughly dried noodles in ziploc bags or glass jars at room temperature or in the freezer. I usually make enough in November for Turkey & Noodles after both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I also like fill cellophane bags, tie with raffia and give them as gifts for the holidays.